She was found stabbed to death on a quiet, shaded street in one of Los Angeles' safest neighbourhoods. For three months the police have found no clues to the murder of Hope Devane, psychology professor and controversial author of a pop-psych bestseller, and angry indictment of men. Now homicide detective Milo Sturgis, newly assigned to the case, turns to his friend, psychologist Dr Alex Delaware, looking for insights into Devane's life. To both men the cold stalking of Hope Devane suggests calculation fuelled by hate - an execution. They discover why as they unlock, one by one, the very private compartments of her life: her marriage, her shadowy work for a Beverly Hills clinic, the Conduct Committee she ran with an iron hand at the University, and her baffling link to another murder victim. But it is when Alex delves into her childhood that he begins to understand the formidable woman she was - and the ties that entangled her life until the horrifying act of betrayal that ended it.
I have a real soft spot for this series; it was one of the first suspense series I ever started. I’ve been reading books in this series for almost 20 years, and in nowhere near the intended order. And that’s the nice thing about it — I may not know what house Delaware is living in or what the status of his relationship with Robin is when I start the book, but each stands alone so well that it doesn’t matter. In The Clinic, Kellerman gives us yet another solid mystery, with a touch of questionable moralities and more than a little psychology. When you start an Alex Delaware novel, rarely do you know where it’s going to end up. If you’re a suspense fan and you haven’t started this series, what are you waiting for?
